Society

South African rescue workers believe no one is underground anymore in the mine where dozens of workers died. So reports the head of the rescue operation after cameras descended.

The death toll is now believed to be 78. Police say identifying the victims poses a major challenge. Only bones would be left of some of the deceased miners since they died in the mine underground several months ago.

After months of deadlock, South African emergency services in recent days brought dozens of miners to the surface from a stalled gold mine. Dozens of bodies were also recovered. The miners brought to the surface alive were emaciated and in poor health. Yet they were immediately arrested. At least a hundred miners are said to have died.

Already at least 78 illegal miners are said to have died in the illegal mine in Stilfontein, about 150 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg. They had been holed up there since October for fear of being arrested. 

At first, the family was still allowed to bring the workers food and drink, but later South African authorities closed the mine to force the illegal miners to come to the surface. Once on the surface, they would then be arrested. The South African government wants to crack down on illegal mining. But this approach has drawn a lot of criticism, including human rights groups who demonstrated. Some 1,500 people already came out voluntarily in recent months and weeks before rescue workers went underground. 

Many of the affected miners are from abroad. According to police, 1,125 are from Mozambique, 465 Zimbabweans and only 26 from South Africa.

(FVDV for Tagtik/Source: Reuters - Daily Mail/Illustration: Angela via Pixabay)